Claek fishee



(No Model.)

0. FISHER.

RAIL JOINT.

No. 341,567. I Patented May 11, 1886.

WITNESS ES;

N. PETERS, PhnwLflhognphar. Washington, D. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIC CLARK FISHER, OF TRENTON, NEYV JERSEY.

RAIL-J OINT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 341,567, dated May 11,1886.

Application filed March 4.1886. Serial No. 193,976. (No model.)

of a joint by the employment of which rails of different heights orvertical depths can be united one to the other.

The invention is an improvement upon that covered by Letters Patent No.19,555, granted March 9, 1858, to M. Fisher, of Trenton, and known asthe Fisher joint. The said Fisher jointconsists of a sole-piece, bridge,chair, or base-plate provided with longitudinal upright lateral flanges,upon the upper face of which sole-piece clamps or forelocks to grasp thebases of the rail ends rest, and in which the foreloeks are held downupon the rail'flanges by one or 'more bolts passing through the whole,as by reference to the Letters Patent referred to will be understood.

Heretofore the sole-pieces of joints of the foregoing description have,as to their upper surface, presented a level and unbroken orcontinuonsly-uniform surface, and the forelocks employed have been of auniform depth through their length. It has therefore been impossible tounite by these joints rails of different heights, a frequent necessityof railroad construction, and at the same time to maintain their headsor bearing-surfaces in the same plane, and the two ties upon which thesole-piece rests on the saine level in the road-bed.

My invention aims to render the foregoing result possible, and to suchend comprehends the construction of a sole-piece the upper surface ofwhich is formed with two levels that is to say, one-half of the saidsole-piece being of greater vertical depth than the other halfand alsocomprehends the employment of forelocks of different depths as to theirrespective ends, all as hereinafter set forth.

In the accompanying drawings, which rep device.

resent a rail-joint embodying my invention, Figure l is a sideelevation, Fig. 2 a top plan, and Fig. 3a view in perspective, of theentire Fig. dis a left-hand end view, and Fig. 5 a right-hand endview,of the completed device, as represented in Figs. 1, 2, and 3. Fig.6 is a transverse central vertical section through the joint of Figs. 1,2, and 3, in a plane between the meeting ends of the rails as viewedfrom the left-hand end of said figures. Figs. 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11 aredetail views, each representing a forelock of the character which Iemploy.

Similarletters of reference indicate corresponding parts iuall thefigures.

In the drawings, A is a portion of a rail of a depth, for instance, offour inches; A, a portion of a rail of the depth, for instance, of fiveinches. Vhen the heads of these rails occupy the same horizontal level,the level of the base of the four-inch rail will obviously be one inchabove the level of thebase of the five-inch rail. It is apparent,therefore, that the base of the lower rail must be sustained upon ahigher level than the base of the higher rail, and this I accomplish bymaking that portion, end, or half ofthe sole-piece B which is to receiveand sustain the lower rail of a vertical depth greater than thatportion, end, or half of the said sole-piece which is to receive andsustain the higher rail, obtaining the said greater vertical depth bysuperimposing a base-block or liner, I), upon the upper surface of thatend, portion, or half of the sole-piece which is to receive and sustainthe lower rail.

The base-block (shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3, and

j 4) may be cast, rolled, or otherwise formed integral with thesole-piece, or, being formed as a separate member, and composed of iron,steel, or wood, may be riveted or otherwise attached or secured thereto.

a are the side flanges of the sole-piece.

' O are the forelocks, and I) a U-bolt, the upturned arms of which arethreaded and armed with nuts d, to bear upon the upper surfaces of theforeloeks. Each foreloek is preferably level as to its upper surface,and is provided with a depending foot or step, 0*, which, in theapplication of the parts passes between the outer edges of the bases ofthe rails and the inner face of the side flange of the sole-piece, and

ICO

' rests upon the upper surface of rail-bases,hav-

ing an inclined surface corresponding therewith.

In uniting rails of equal depths in the old form and use of the Fisherjoint the under surface of each forel0ck0r that surface which is adaptedto rest upon the bases of the rails which it overhangs, and, under thestress of the nut bearing down upon its upper surface, to clamp the saidbases securely to thesole-piece is made as a plane-inclined surface throughout its entire length, as is obviously necessary where the upperportions of the adjoining bases of the rails lie in the same plane.

In my improvement I construct each forelock as to its under surface withtwo levelsa lower level, which I designate the deep clamping-surface c,and a raised level, which I designate the shallow clamping-surface asbest represented in Figs. 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11therebyin effect makingeach forelock of unequal depth as to different portions of itsclamping-surface.

In the mounting and union of the parts the shallow clamping surface ofeach forelock bears upon the base of the lower rail, and the deepclamping-surface upon the base of the higher rail.

The respective depths of the two clampingsurfaces of each forelockare'to be calculated with respect to the depth or thickness of thebase-block or liner of the sole-piece, and with regard to the respectivedepths or heights of the rails to be united.

The line of division between the deep and shallow clamping-surfaces ofeach forelock is preferably central and in a transverse verti cal planeprojected through the bolt-hole, as shown in Figs. 9 and 10.

It is of course obvious that each sole-piece, constructed in accordancewith myinvention, and the pair of forelocks which are intended for usewith it, are together adapted for employment only with rails of a givendifferent Vertical depth, and that a set of these devices adapted tounite a five-inch rail with a fourinch rail would not be adapted tounite a four and one-half inch rail with a five-inch rail. This fact isself evident, it requiring but a half-inch variation in the forelocksand baseplate to unite rails of the heights last instanced.

Having thus described my invention, I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent- 1. As a new article of manufacture, a railjointsole-piece, chair, or bridge the upper or carrying surface of which isas to its respective ends formed or otherwise provided with differentlevels, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. A rail-joint sole-piece, chair, or bridge the upper or carryingsurface of which is as to its respective ends formed or otherwise provided with different levels, in combination with two rails of differentheights, by means of forelocks formed each with two rail-clampingsurfaces occupying different levels, sub stantially as set forth.

3. The combination, to form a rail-joint for the support of the meetingends of two rails of different heights, of a solepiece, chair, orbridge, that portion of the upper surface of which piece upon whichrests the base of the lower rail occupies a higher level than thatportion of said surface upon which rests the higher rail, a rail of agiven vertical depth, a rail of a greater vertical depth, and forelockshaving each two clampingsurfaces upon differeut levels for clamping thebases of said rails, substantially as shown and described.

4. As an article of manufacture, a forelock for a rail-joint, the uppersurface of which is level and which is formed with a deep clamping-surface and a shallow clamping-surface occupying, respectively,different levels.

As an article of manufacture, a chair or sole piece for a rail-joint,provided as to a portion not greater than one-half of its length with araised base-block or liner formed as a part thereof or secured thereto.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name this 27th day ofFebruary, A. D. 1886.

CLARK FISHER.

In presence of EDWARD O. STovnR, CHAS. XV. EDXVARDS.

